The Bloomfield High School Bengal Marching Band hosts its 32nd Fall Marching Band Invitational in a long-awaited return to Foley Field on Sunday, November 3. Fifteen bands from across the state will take the field to compete, performing their full high school football halftime shows. The festival will close with an exhibition performance by the Bloomfield High School Marching Band—sporting brand-new uniforms this season for the first time in more than 20 years—followed by an awards ceremony.

Bloomfield’s home turf, historic Foley Field (which opened in 1923), had been closed for renovations from 2009 until last year, forcing the band to cohost the competition in Parsippany for three years. The 2012 festival would have marked its return to Bloomfield, but in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, band director Brendan Hughes had no choice but to cancel the event.

“The decision to cancel our invitational last year was a tough one—it kept me up at night all that week. But with the situation we were facing in town, plus the even worse circumstances in some of the competing bands’ hometowns, we really had no alternative,” said Mr. Hughes. “Being able to return the festival to Foley this year means a lot to all of us in the band and music community, and we’re looking forward to a great event—it will be bigger and better than it’s ever been.”

Gates open at noon and the show starts at 12:45. Admission is $12 for adults; $10 seniors; $5 for students and children. All proceeds support the Bloomfield High School Band program.

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